Wrestling isn’t the only thing on Griffith junior Zach Kenney’s mind these days.
While pursuing a childhood dream on the mats, Kenney has spent the past two weeks contemplating the unexpected death of a grandfather who was an important person in his life.
“I think about it a lot, but I’m using it as drive now,” he said. “Everything I do now, I’m dedicating it to him.”
Kenney will have more opportunities to do that after qualifying for the state meet that begins Friday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. He placed fourth in the 150-pound weight class during the East Chicago Central Semistate on Saturday and will be joined at state by teammate Landon Westenfeld, who qualified at 132.
Wrestling in the state meet for the first time will fulfill a longtime dream for Kenney (35-7).
“This is all I ever wanted to do, from when I started wrestling when I was a little kid until now,” he said. “I didn’t think it would ever happen.”
Kenney’s achievement came after his grandfather Tim Reid died at the age of 61 earlier this month.
“He was pretty much my whole childhood,” Kenney said. “He took me everywhere, and we did everything together.”
Kenney said Reid was a passionate sports fan but became interested in wrestling only after Kenney started competing in it. Kenney noted that Reid sent him messages after meets like the one Saturday.
“He’d always text me after a big win or after qualifying for bigger things,” Kenney said. “After the blood round (Saturday), I thought about how happy he would’ve been for me. I know he’d be texting me right now but … it sucks.”
The win that secured Kenney’s berth in the state meet hit his father Brett hard too. Brett Kenney, a Griffith assistant, is Reid’s son-in-law.
“I had to step away and hide for a minute,” Brett Kenney said. “It was very emotional.”
Zach Kenney’s success at semistate continues his roller-coaster ride of a career. As a freshman, he qualified for semistate at 113 and finished the season with a 19-7 record. He was hampered by injuries during his sophomore season, when he went 26-9 but didn’t advance past the sectional. He believed he tore the meniscus in his right knee.
“I’m not exactly sure because I never went in for it,” Zach Kenney said. “I didn’t want to miss my season. I just pushed through it.”
Brett Kenney said there was a concerted effort to keep Zach’s spirits high heading into this season.
“We were just trying to keep him positive and on the right track,” Brett Kenney said. “Last year wasn’t what we wanted, but he just had to keep grinding. This is a tough sport, and one match doesn’t define everything. He just had to get back in there and correct the things that needed to be fixed so he could keep rolling.”
Zach Kenney tried the same approach after Reid died.
“I went to school the day after it happened,” Kenney said. “I knew that I still needed to work. I wasn’t going to let it stop me from qualifying for state, from reaching my goals.”
Griffith coach Chris Sojka said Kenney could have taken a break from wrestling.
“We told him to take whatever time he needed, but he was there the next day,” Sojka said. “Still, you could tell the emotions were there.”
Sojka said the Panthers rallied around Kenney.
“This is something else a wrestling team does for you,” Sojka said. “A wrestling team can help you get on a podium or get wins.
“But a wrestling team can also help you get through these moments and get you focused so that you can say you’re doing this thing for you now, but you’re also doing this for another purpose. You’re working for something bigger than yourself now.”
Dave Melton is a freelance reporter.
